Thread: Getting ready to pull the trigger on a razor

Hi StackNitup & welcome to the forum. I have not heard of that seller but just be careful. You can't believe everything you hear or read on the listings. If you throw your hat in just be sure that is what you want. First of all, I just looked at his razors & he is in Australia & shipping is expensive. I'm sure you could find something better in the US that will have less shipping or even look in the classifieds on here as well. Sellers usually on here will offer something for a decent price & will be shave ready. If not, continue to look for a more local deal, there are plenty here in the US that you can find & even ask one of us for an opinion on. I don't mind. You might find one that you will more than likely have to send it to one of the honing guys here in the classifieds as well. I would send it to gssixgun or to Lynn for a good professional hone.
Steve

Maybe somebody in the US that has bought from Australia before can let us know what Customs and possible duty fees are going to mean. I'm pretty sure that for that additional cost on top of what he's asking for some admittedly good looking razors you can get a better deal in the US.

AND first you should check SRP classifieds for an acceptable razor at a reasonable price from a fellow forum member. And it usually will come truly shave ready. I love our Australian brothers but shipping can be costly.

So often the new kid on the block is steered toward a $100-$125 "vintage razor" which may just be a very wonderful thing. Having owned my share of vintage blades in the past I can see the merit in same. But......

Why not on the other hand make mention of the razors currently available that are brand new, made by reputable manufacturers, sold by reputable vendors AND are shave ready?? Yes, contrary to popular belief, such goods are out there and priced from about $77.00 (Dovo Best) to $119 (Boker King Kutter) and all over the place from there. We are also talking IN STOCK with free or modest shipping charges.

When the monetary output is essentially the same for either, what's the downside of "new" over "used"??

Originally Posted by Phoenix51

So often the new kid on the block is steered toward a $100-$125 "vintage razor" which may just be a very wonderful thing. Having owned my share of vintage blades in the past I can see the merit in same. But......

Why not on the other hand make mention of the razors currently available that are brand new, made by reputable manufacturers, sold by reputable vendors AND are shave ready?? Yes, contrary to popular belief, such goods are out there and priced from about $77.00 (Dovo Best) to $119 (Boker King Kutter) and all over the place from there. We are also talking IN STOCK with free or modest shipping charges.

When the monetary output is essentially the same for either, what's the downside of "new" over "used"??

I just looked at the vintage razors OP refers to, and they have more fancy embelishments than the 'new' razors you are talking about and the price is comparable or cheaper. You can't get 'worked back' or bolsters on the scale ends from the current new productions in this price range. The workmanship on these razors while not quite perfect is certainly better than that on an average dovo best quality. And I must say that in my experience the anchor brothers is a nicer shaver than the dovo best. I just don't think that the comparison is fair - embellishments cost more, sometimes significantly more as you can see in the current production and while nowadays there is more diversity in razors than a few years ago the vintage spectrum is far from covered.
For example I haven't seen deep etch/engraving on the blade from any current production, or multicolor enamel - usually is just rather thin gold wash; or hammered tangs, or fancy sculpting of thumbnotches and points. That exists on vintage razors.
People pay $300 for a lightly ground 'new' razor, vintage ones of better quality and a lot more refined looks could routinely be had for half the price. It's largely a matter of individual's values - to some people 'new' is valuable to others 'used' is more valuable. I see recommendations for both all the time and haven't noticed a particular aversion against one or the other.